The Fall
by Silvershadow426
Summary: Scootaloo has always looked up to Rainbow Dash, but what happens when she's taught to fly by the greatest flyer in Equestria?


_What… What happened? Where am I? I can't open my eyes, and it feels as if I was bucked into next week. Was I sleeping? My whole body is numb, and my mind feels groggy. Maybe I was asleep for a week. Clouds… Wind… I can't remember a thing. I hear voices, but they're faint, almost as if I was dreaming. But I think I can make them out. Yeah, there are definitely two ponies talking. One sounds like a stallion, older and professional, but I can't hear what he's saying. The other one sounds familiar, but I'm slipping back into unconsciousness. The other pony sounds broken and full of pain, almost as if they've lost somepony very special to them. Before the darkness consumes me again, I hear them say one word._

"_Scootaloo."_

_And it sounded like the most painful thing they had ever said._

"Hey, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said cheerfully as she approached the Pegasus pony on the playground with Sweetie Belle. "Are you excited for our Cutie Mark Crusaders meetin' tonight?" Scootaloo had been staring up at the clear blue sky in admiration, lost in her thoughts, while waiting for her two best friends to get out of class for recess. She looked down at them from the top of the slide.

"Oh, sorry girls," she said guiltily. "I guess I forgot to tell you." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other, confused, before looking back at Scootaloo.

"What'd you forget to tell us?" Sweetie Belle asked, slightly nervous about their friend's answer. The worry instantly vanished as soon as the young Pegasus stood up from her perch and spread out her tiny wings in excitement.

"I'm not going to be able to make it tonight," she said with a smile, "because Rainbow Dash said that she was going to teach me how to fly today!" The Crusaders on the ground hopped up and down in glee, happy for their friend. They said that since the meeting wouldn't be the same without Scootaloo, they would reschedule it for the next night.

While Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash weren't related by blood, the colorful Pegasus had happily taken the foal under her wing. Rainbow Dash had never admitted it before, but she was always a bit jealous that her friends always seemed to have a family that she didn't have: Apple Jack had Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh; Rarity had Sweetie Belle; Twilight had Spike; Fluttershy had her animals; and Pinkie Pie lived in the upstairs of Sugar Cube Corner that Mr. and Mrs. Cake owned.

Scootaloo had always admired Rainbow Dash, and she didn't know what it was like to have a sister either while her friends had somepony to go to in their time of need. Even though she had been scared on that camping trip, she never regretted that night, for that was the night when Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash became sisters.

Since nopony had been using the slide, Scootaloo had taken the opportunity to make it her perch as she thought about how quickly she wanted the school day to end. While it wasn't the highest place in Ponyville, it was the best she could do, and she'd have to get used to heights if she wanted to be as great a flyer as her hero.

"You're going to learn from Rainbow Dash? Yeah, good luck with that." The Cutie Mark Crusaders rolled their eyes as the two snobby ponies gracefully walked toward the slide. Diamond Tiara had spoken, and she had no problem with letting the fillies know that she wasn't going to hide her smugness.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash is the best flyer in Equestria," Scootaloo defended. "Princess Celestia even said so herself." Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon snickered before the silver pony smirked.

"Is that what she told you? Puh-lease." Scootaloo snorted; she hated when anypony talked like that. "You know how she is. She always wants to be the attention hog."

"Oh, and you don't?" Sweetie Belle cut in, but the rich fillies ignored her.

"Besides," Diamond started again, "I didn't even think you could fly, especially with those chicken wings of yours." By now a crowd had gathered around the group, mesmerized with what was happening, but Scootaloo didn't care. She ignored the teasing that was being aimed at her, but how dare these ponies talk bad about Rainbow Dash? Before she could do anything, Apple Bloom spoke up.

"Why are you even talkin' about flyin' when you two are Earth ponies? Why do you care?" Diamond and Silver snickered again.

"Look at her!" Silver pointed a hoof at a still seething Scootaloo. "She's a Pegasus who can't even fly! And what's a Pegasus without the use of her wings?" Diamond Tiara took a menacing step forward.

"If she can't even fly, she's a useless pony! She'll be the only Pegasus who has to work on the ground like Blank Flank Number One," Diamond laughed as she referred to Apple Bloom and how she and her family worked nonstop at Sweet Apple Acres.

"At least I'm actually contributin' to Ponyville," Apple Bloom said with a nasty glare. "You two do absolutely nothin' except sit on your rumps all day and make everypony else feel bad about themselves just to make yourselves feel all high an' mighty." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hoped that Apple Bloom had put the snobby fillies in their place for now, but they just rolled their eyes.

"With rich daddies like ours, what else is there to do?" Diamond stated before turning back to Scootaloo. "Good luck getting your cutie mark of a chicken. You'll need it." Diamond and Silver laughed again before doing their signature hoof bump at the same time the bell rang. As the foals turned to go back inside the schoolhouse, Scootaloo silently slid down onto the ground.

"Ignore them, Scoot." Sweetie Belle smiled at her friend. "You'll become such a great flyer that your cutie mark will probably look exactly like Rainbow's!"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom hopped toward the schoolhouse happily. "How cool would that be?" Scootaloo sighed sadly and turned to look at her tiny wings. She gave them a quick flutter before following her friends inside.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "It would be cool."

"All right," Rainbow Dash started as she smiled down at her student, "The first thing we're going to do is get your wing muscles moving." Scootaloo was smiling from ear to ear as she paid close attention to what Rainbow Dash was saying, ecstatic to finally learn how to fly from the master of the Sonic Rainboom herself.

_How lucky I am to have Rainbow Dash as my sister._

"Strong wings make for strong flyers, so let's see those wings move!" The Pegasus spread out her wings and gave a strong flap to push herself off the ground, continuing to beat them up and down effortlessly to keep her hovering in place. Scootaloo spread out her wings as well, and crouched down a bit so her hooves could help her push off into the air. As she started to flap her wings and bunch up her leg muscles for the jump, Rainbow suddenly stopped her.

"Hold on there, Scoot," she said as she placed a hoof on the filly's head to keep her from jumping. Scootaloo was baffled; hadn't she been doing it right? Rainbow Dash landed lightly on the ground in front of her.

"What's wrong, Dash?" Scootaloo asked nervously. Maybe the cyan pony had suddenly decided not to teach her.

"Flap your wings again," Rainbow instructed, "but don't try to push off. Just stay on the ground." Scootaloo was confused, but did what she was told. After a few wing beats, Rainbow nodded her head in understanding.

"Yep, that's what I thought. You're not actually flapping your wings, Scoot."

"What do you mean?" The smaller Pegasus's eyes were filled with worry. "This is how I always flap them."

"When you're propelling yourself on your scooter," Rainbow finished. "You're flapping your wings like a hummingbird, which isn't going to help much with flying through the air." She spread out her wings again and demonstrated how to fly as she lifted off again. "You need to flap them slowly, like an eagle," she said from the sky. "You need to let the wind catch underneath your feathers."

Scootaloo stared back at her wings in curiosity as her instructor landed again. Had her wings always done this? Her ears lowered slightly at the idea of looking like a hummingbird as she flew. Rainbow saw this and smiled, rubbing her hoof on top of her little sister's head.

"Hey, don't worry too much about it, Squirt," she said. "Flying takes time, effort, and practice. So let's try it again." Scootaloo smiled as she carefully took in every word that Rainbow was saying to her. She knew deep down that she wasn't going to give up on teaching her how to fly.

Rainbow Dash spread out her wings again, and Scootaloo did the same. "Okay, slowly now." She flapped once, very slowly to show how the muscles and feathers moved through the air. Scootaloo had to concentrate very hard to get her wings to mimic Rainbow's, but after a few beats they automatically started fluttering again. She sat down in defeat.

"I'll never be able to be as good a flyer as you," she muttered sadly. Rainbow was crushed by the look on Scootaloo's face, but she wasn't going to let her wings get in the way of wanting to fly. She stood up quickly and offered the orange Pegasus her hoof.

"Come on, Squirt," she smiled, "you've had a long day. Let's go flying." Scootaloo returned the smile, nodded, and grasped Rainbow's hoof. The two lifted off into the clouds as Rainbow Dash held Scootaloo under her hoof to mimic the feel of flying. Scootaloo, despite her wings flapping like a hummingbird, felt like she was on top of the world as she pretended to fly on her own through the sky. The two Pegasi smiled at each other, reminiscing about their first flight together so many months ago that was exactly like this one.

As the sun was starting to set on the horizon, Rainbow Dash lightly landed on a cloud as Scootaloo landed next to her. Flying with her idol always gave her a feeling of immense satisfaction, but eventually the fun needed to end. Rainbow Dash tried to stifle a yawn as she plopped down onto the cottony surface that only Pegasi could walk on and looked up at her still smiling student.

"You did really well today, Scoot," she said proudly. "Don't let the idea of your wings stop you. You're still young." Scootaloo nodded her head before lying down next to the cyan Pegasus. Despite what Rainbow had said, she still couldn't get her wings off of her mind. Sure, she was still young and her wings still needed development, but Rainbow Dash had successfully done a Sonic Rainboom when she was only a year younger than Scootaloo, and it had been an accident. She sighed sadly before resting her head down on the cloud.

Rainbow Dash quickly fell into one of her evening naps, but Scootaloo couldn't seem to do the same. Inwardly sighing to herself, she quietly stood up and walked to the edge of the cloud. Giving her wings a flutter, she looked pleadingly up at the slowly darkening sky before glancing back at her wings. Concentrating with all her might, she tried to get her wings to slow down. After a few minutes of almost successful attempts, she finally managed to get her wings to go from a quick flutter to a majestic flap. Ecstatic, she tried again and succeeded.

Scootaloo had to suppress her squeals of excitement so as not to wake up Rainbow Dash, but she wanted to show her that she could finally do it. Turning around to look at the still sleeping Pegasus, Scootaloo smiled to herself.

_I'll just start flying! And when I pass by the cloud again, I'll call out her name and she'll see that I can finally fly! _

It was a perfect plan that she could clearly envision in her head. Facing out toward the open sky again, Scootaloo spread out her wings and started to flap slowly. Eventually, she started to feel her hooves come off of the cloud ever so slightly, but she had to push back the feeling of accomplishment as it took every ounce of concentration just to keep her wings flapping at their current speed. She tilted her body to go forward; she was now away from the safety of the cloud.

"Look!" she called out with laughter. "Rainbow, look! I'm flying!" She looked back to see the Pegasus stir a bit before lifting up her head. Scootaloo had been so thrilled that she was finally in the air that she didn't notice that her wings had gradually been picking up their pace. Her small, fluttering wings couldn't support the weight of her body, and as she realized this and tried to get back to the cloud she made the worst mistake that a beginner flyer could make: she looked down.

The orange Pegasus hadn't even realized how high up they were; the trees looked like something from a foal's playhouse, and the ponies on the ground were as small as ants. Her eyes widened, her wings stopped in fear, and Scootaloo fell.

"Rainbow Dash!" she screamed with all her might. "Rainbow! Help me!" The ground was coming up faster than she had imagined it would, and the wind was so strong that she didn't even think her sister would hear her. It was cold as she plummeted while the winds screamed in her ears and scratched at her eyes.

_This is it,_ Scootaloo thought grimly to herself. _This is when I die._ As the ground came up closer and closer, Scootaloo closed her eyes as a tear lifted into the air above her.

"Rainbow, look! I'm flying!" A small voice had entered Rainbow Dash's mind as her sleep was interrupted, and with an annoyed groan she looked around in a daze. Maybe she had just imagined it, but it had sounded happy and young. Not seeing anypony nearby, she shrugged and lay her head down on the cloud again. Suddenly, she blinked as she realized that Scootaloo was not next to her. The sky was a mix of blues and purples, so she hadn't been napping for long.

"No," she whispered to herself as the realization hit. The voice she heard had been Scootaloo's.

"Rainbow! Help me!" The terrified scream pierced through Rainbow's thoughts, and she quickly looked over the cloud with her wings already spread. Horrified, Rainbow Dash saw Scootaloo falling to the earth in a motionless state of panic and fear. The Pegasus was quick to leap off the cloud and fly after the filly, but she couldn't help but feel like she wasn't going to make it.

_No, I have to!_ She pushed the little voice away as she beat her wings faster and harder. It was getting difficult to see as her eyes filled with tears from the wind and her emotions, and once again the little voice in her head said that Scootaloo was too far away to catch. Rainbow shook her head and prepared for her Sonic Rainboom; she had to get to Scootaloo.

The ground was coming up, but Rainbow felt like she wasn't gaining enough speed. She suddenly thought about the time Rarity had fallen out of the sky and she had successfully captured her and a few members of the Wonderbolts. A little foal would be much easier to catch.

The front of Rainbow's hooves started shaking as she propelled herself faster and faster toward the ground before her whole body was trembling from the immense speed. She didn't panic, and instead pushed forward even more. Her mane and tail trailed behind her, and she knew what to expect if she just gave her wings a few more beats.

_I need to hurry,_ she thought to herself. _We're only a few feet above the ground!_ Finally, after one last wing beat, the shaking stopped and she careened forward, leaving the Sonic Rainboom in her wake. Rainbow came up on Scootaloo's unconscious form quickly and was able to catch her in her hooves just a couple of feet from the ground. However, something had gone wrong from the last time she had performed this daring feat with Rarity. After unleashing the Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow Dash had tucked her wings in tightly to help herself fall faster, and all she needed to do was spread out her wings once more and fly back into the sky.

Rainbow screamed in pain as one of her wings caught the wind at an awkward angle, disabling her ability to fly back into the clouds. Listening to her instincts, Rainbow turned onto her back and clutched Scootaloo tightly to her chest as she skidded along the hard ground. The Pegasus clenched her teeth in agony as the dirt and rocks ripped through her back and grabbed at her wings. She must've gone thirty feet before she finally slowed to a stop.

Ignoring the pain, Rainbow Dash looked down at the small form she cradled in her hooves. How could this have happened? Didn't Scootaloo know that she wasn't ready to fly on her own yet? Why would she do this? Hundreds of questions bounced around in her head, but she only asked one out loud.

"Scootaloo?" she panted heavily. "Are you all right?" There was no response from the filly, but Rainbow felt relief as she saw Scootaloo's chest rise and fall with each breath. "Don't worry, Scoot," she said as she placed Scootaloo under her leg, "you're going to be just fine." She cantered on three legs, careful to make sure the filly didn't get hurt but still trying to hurry to the Ponyville Hospital. Each step sent a searing pain up her back and into her wings, but she ignored it. She had to admit that she was a little bit grateful that the streets of Ponyville were pretty much empty around dinnertime, as she didn't want to be stopped with unimportant questions. When the hospital came into view, Rainbow Dash picked up her gait to nearly a gallop.

"Please, you have to help her!" Rainbow cried in desperation as she ran through the front doors of the hospital. The nurses who sat at the desk, both pure white Earth ponies with red crosses on their flanks, looked up in surprise as they stared at the dirty and mangled Pegasus. When their eyes caught sight of the filly hanging from her front leg, one of the nurses proceeded to call in a doctor while the other began to ask questions.

"What happened?" she asked with a surprising amount of calmness to her voice. "Tell me everything so we know what to expect." The frantic pony spilled out ragged sentences and words as her mind still tried to process what had happened only minutes ago, but luckily the nurse was able to understand.

"Flying lessons… Took a nap… Scream," Rainbow gasped for air as she spoke, and the longer she stood there the more she wondered what was taking the doctor so long. It must have been that her sense of time had sped up due to recent events. When the doctor, a light brown Unicorn wearing a white jacket and a stethoscope cutie mark, entered through the doors on one side of the room, the nurse quickly explained the situation as he carefully took Scootaloo from Rainbow Dash and placed her on a gurney. The cyan pony didn't get a chance to say anything to her unconscious sister as the doctor pushed the gurney through the doors with the use of his magic. When she went to take a step forward to follow, the nurse stopped her.

"There's no need to be alarmed," she said kindly, her voice comforting the stressed Pegasus. "She's in good hooves." Rainbow couldn't help but look at the doors that Scootaloo had gone through.

"Is she going to be okay?" She had regained her breath, but her voice still broke over the pressure that she might lose Scootaloo.

"She's in a state of shock," the nurse explained. "They're just going to examine her to make sure nothing is broken or damaged, and she should awaken soon afterward." Turning Rainbow around to make her walk toward the doors on the other side of the room, she continued as they walked. "Now, we should probably get you fixed up as well. That run opened up some of the cuts on your back." Rainbow willingly followed the nurse through the door, but the pain in her back and wings, along with the fresh blood slowly seeping through her skin, were completely ignored as she looked back behind her.

_Please, Scootaloo,_ she prayed silently. _Please be okay._

The light of the Unicorn's horn glowed light brown as he held up the x-rays and charts to examine the unconscious filly next to him, but his face revealed more and more worry as he glanced back and forth between Scootaloo and this newly found information. When he heard the door open behind him with a loud squeak, he turned around to face the nurse who had escorted Rainbow Dash into another room on the other side of the hospital. She could tell from the look on the doctor's face that the news was going to be bad.

"What's her condition?" the white Earth pony asked with as much of a steady voice as she could muster, but inside she was still nervous about what he would say. The brown pony only sighed with deep sadness and showed her the papers. She gasped slightly at what she read before looking at a steadily breathing Scootaloo.

"She's so young," he said heavily with despair. "I'm not sure how she'll take the news, and I'm even more concerned about Rainbow Dash." The nurse nodded her head.

"Of course," she agreed. "Everypony in Ponyville knows how much she loves Scootaloo." As the Unicorn placed the charts on the end of Scootaloo's bed, he looked at her in a long silence. After minutes passed, he finally spoke again.

"We can't sugarcoat it." The sentence was quiet, but held so much power and determination that the nurse wondered if he was mostly saying it for himself. She jumped slightly when he suddenly whipped his head around to face her. "How is Rainbow Dash?"

"Her left wing is broken, and she has deep but minor cuts on her back. Her right wing is also a little bit scratched up, and some feathers have been pulled out," the nurse reported. "Her back should heal fairly quickly, the feathers will grow back soon, and her wing should take about as much time as the last time she broke her other wing. But other than that, she's mostly pacing around wondering about Scootaloo's condition over her own."

"Bring her in," the Unicorn said without hesitation. "She needs to know this now." The Earth pony turned and left the room.

The words hit Rainbow's heart with a thud. Suddenly, she couldn't hear anything, and her knees wobbled so much she thought she might fall onto the floor. This couldn't be possible. Scootaloo was doing so well!

When the nurse had returned to Rainbow Dash's room, the Pegasus immediately bombarded her with questions about her little sister. What happened? Is she okay? Is she awake? Can I see her? The nurse held up a hoof to get the frenzied pony to stop before escorting her through the hospital's barren halls and into Scootaloo's room. The doctor was patiently awaiting their arrival, but this time all Rainbow did was give the Unicorn a worried look. Heaving a great sigh, he explained how they had examined every part of the smaller pony's body to make sure that nothing had broken, and to make sure that everything was in working order.

"So, is she okay?" Dash had asked, this time with hope filling her voice. Her heart gave a sickening lurch as she noticed the doctor's ears started to lower in sadness. The news was broken to Rainbow Dash.

She was feeling her eyes start to water, but she didn't worry about what anypony would think if she started crying. It was too much for her to handle, and she couldn't even fly into the sky to reduce the pain and stress she was currently enduring. Her left wing was wrapped in a cast and bandage, and her right wing also had some bandages wrapped around it. A third set of bandages were wrapped carefully under both of her wings, over her back, and around her stomach. She wouldn't be flying for a while.

"Who's going to tell Scoot?" the cyan pony asked, not even caring that she kept hearing her voice break as her emotions flooded over her. Half of her wanted to plead the doctor to let him tell Scootaloo the horrible news, as she thought she deserved to hear it from her big sister. But at the same time, this was the doctor, and he had been the one to find out what was wrong. She felt conflicted. After a while, the nurse spoke up.

"We understand that this is difficult for you," she said gently. "But if you want us to tell her, we can do that." When Rainbow Dash nodded her head in agreement, the Earth pony spoke again. "We just need you to be strong, okay? Stand right there next to her when she wakes up, and be with her every step of the way."

Be strong? How could Rainbow be strong when she felt so broken inside? But she knew the nurse was right as she tried to wipe away the tears and steady her breathing.

"How much longer do you think it'll be before she wakes up?"

"We're not sure," the Unicorn stated. "It could be anywhere between now and in a few hours. But she should wake up before tomorrow." Rainbow nodded her head once before slowly stepping over to stand over Scootaloo's bed. As she looked down at the peaceful-looking pony, she could feel her chest tighten up again.

"Scootaloo." And for the first time, it felt like her name was the most painful word in the world.

Rainbow Dash sleepily rubbed at her eyes as she cast another glance at the clock hanging on the wall above Scootaloo's bed. It was just a little bit after one in the morning, and still the orange Pegasus hadn't moved. Rainbow didn't care how late it was getting, despite everypony telling her that she should get some sleep and she'll know of Scootaloo's condition in the morning. All she cared about was that her sister had to wake up soon, and she'd make sure that she was the first pony she saw. But she had to admit that sitting in the same spot for six hours straight was excruciatingly boring without her books, and she had to occasionally get up and walk around the room to keep her muscles from falling asleep. But still, she did not leave the filly's side.

When the clock slowly ticked to half past two and the cyan Pegasus didn't think that she could keep her eyes open much longer, she thought she noticed a slight movement. Her eyes immediately snapped open to focus on the faint facial twitch that had happened for a second time. She knew she hadn't been hallucinating. Standing up with more excitement than when she had first performed a successful Sonic Rainboom, Rainbow quickly stuck her head out of Scootaloo's room to scan the halls for somepony. Luckily, the Unicorn who had been in charge of taking care of Scootaloo happened to be passing by at the end of the hallway. When he looked up to see Rainbow's tearful yet ecstatic eyes, he quickly turned to call for the nurse before trotting down the hall.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to remain professional, but Rainbow Dash could detect the slight happiness that laced his voice. "Is she awake?" As Rainbow was about to open her mouth to explain what she saw, she was interrupted by a tiny sound. Her ears perked up before she turned around and rushed back to the side of the bed. The nurse had walked in, and quietly stood next to the Unicorn near the door.

"Scoot?" Dash murmured, but said her name again in a slightly louder voice. "Scoot? Can you hear me?" Scootaloo's facial muscles twitched slightly as gentle, almost mewling-like noises escaped her mouth as she tried to fight her way back into the waking world. "Come on, Scoot," Dash persisted. "You're strong! Wake up!" Ten long seconds passed before Scootaloo's beautiful light purple eyes met with Rainbow's tearful ones.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rainbow's heart fluttered with joy as she happily heard her little sister's voice again. "Why are you crying?" The cyan Pegasus couldn't contain her joy anymore as she suddenly lunged forward to wrap her front hoofs around Scootaloo in a great hug. Scootaloo, though surprised at the sudden, unexpected behavior from Rainbow Dash, felt the need to return the hug as well as she suddenly remembered what had happened before she passed out.

"I caught you, Scoot," Rainbow choked out as the tears started streaming down her face. "I caught you and took you to the hospital. You've only been asleep for a few hours." She noticed the slight tightening around her neck and break in Scootaloo's voice as she started to cry as well.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash," she cried into her rainbow-colored mane. "I'm so sorry. I should've known that I couldn't fly yet. You have bandages all over you, and it's my fault." Rainbow pulled back to look at the filly in the eye.

"It's not your fault," she said sternly. "Don't you ever think that this is your fault. If anything, it's my fault for not keeping an eye on you when I knew that you wanted to keep learning how to fly." Rainbow embraced her sister again. "I'm the one who's sorry."

Rainbow Dash wanted to stay like this forever, but eventually all good things must come to an end. After a few more moments of silent embraces and the gentle reduction of sobs, Rainbow reluctantly looked over at the doctor after he gave an obvious clearing of his throat. Sighing, she pulled away from Scootaloo.

"So, I guess we're going to have to cut back on the flying lessons until your wings are healed, huh?" Scootaloo was grinning from ear to ear as she was blissfully unaware of the horrible news that would be delivered onto her mere minutes after being reunited with Rainbow Dash. When Rainbow slowly looked back at Scootaloo, her smile slowly vanished as she realized that something was wrong.

"We…" Rainbow sighed heavily with frustration as she tried to find her words. "We… Won't be flying… Ever again." Tears welled in Scootaloo's eyes again, and Rainbow had to look away.

"W-what?" she stammered. "You're kidding, right? I promise, I'll listen to you! I won't fly off by myself!" How could Rainbow Dash not give her flying lessons anymore? This couldn't be happening!

"It's not that I don't want to give you lessons, Scoot, it's just…" Rainbow was at a loss for words as she started crying again, something that she never did in front of anypony ever. The nurse gave her the questioning look that Dash had expected to get eventually, and she regretfully nodded her head once. When the Unicorn stepped closer to Scootaloo, she gave all three ponies questioning looks.

"What's going on?" she asked with a slight tremble to her voice. This couldn't be good, especially if the doctor was sighing with sadness.

"Scootaloo, I'm sorry to have to tell you this," he started, "but while you were unconscious we discovered something about your wings."

"My wings? What's wrong with them?" She gulped, her mouth feeling dry.

"Your wings will never grow to be able to support your body weight," he explained, trying his best to remain calm and keep his eye contact. "The bones are and will remain too weak for proper flying." Did Scootaloo hear Rainbow Dash whimper? She was too transfixed on the Unicorn.

"What… What are you saying?" The young filly barely whispered.

"Scootaloo," the doctor sighed. "You are handicapped. You will never be able to fly."

Scootaloo's heart tightened in her chest, making her feel like she could no longer breathe properly as those terrible words bounced all around her head. Handicapped? No more flying? Ever…? She cast an anxious look back at Rainbow, hoping that all of this was just some cruel prank that she was playing. But the shaking Pegasus didn't look up, and only the sounds of her sniffles filled the room. Scootaloo leaned back in her bed in silence, the news so horrible and heart-wrenching that she couldn't even feel any emotion.

"_She's a Pegasus who can't even fly!"_ Diamond Tiara's words from earlier suddenly returned to her mind. _"And what's a Pegasus without the use of her wings?" _

"_If she can't even fly, she's a useless pony!"_ This time, Silver Spoon's words bit at her cruelly. _"She'll be the only Pegasus who has to work on the ground."_

"Scootaloo," the nurse said gently, "why don't you get some sleep? I know it's been a rough day, but you're going to be released tomorrow and we want you to be well-rested." Without another word the two ponies left, leaving only Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo alone.

"Rainbow?" Her heart ached at the lack of feeling in her little sister's voice. "Will you stay with me tonight?" Unable to form any fathomable words, Rainbow only nodded her head as she climbed onto the chair on the other side of Scootaloo's bed. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, as she had barely been awake for the past six hours, but Scootaloo found it much harder to do the same as the cruel words were repeated over and over in her mind. She wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

"That's it, sugar cube!" Apple Jack called from a few trees over. "Don't you worry none about tryin' to buck 'em all down at once."

"Yeah, you gotta build up your leg muscles first," Apple Bloom chimed in as she shifted her weight onto her front legs and bucked at the trunk of the apple tree with all her might. Only a few apples fell to the ground, but Apple Bloom wasn't upset. She knew that one day she'd be as strong and skilled as her big sister.

It had been a month since Scootaloo found out that she was handicapped and her dreams of being like Rainbow Dash were crushed, but after realizing that Rainbow Dash, her friends, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders would still be there for her she didn't mind as much. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, despite having made fun of her for not being able to fly, actually felt bad about the fact that she would never have a chance to change that fact. Scootaloo had been surprised when the two snobby ponies had pulled her over away from everypony else to apologize to her, and even to tell her that they were secretly cheering her on with finding her cutie mark.

Rainbow Dash had talked to Apple Jack about possibly training Scootaloo to help her out on the farm, which she agreed to immediately. Scootaloo, while not thrilled about the idea of that much hard work on the farm, was glad that Rainbow was at least trying to find something for her to do while she was stuck on the ground. Sweetie Belle even came over sometimes to help out the remaining two Crusaders, of which Apple Jack never objected.

The young Pegasus kicked at the trunk, only getting one or two apples to fall with every buck, but she was still satisfied. The hard work was changing her attitude about how much the Apple Family actually did for Ponyville, and with every passing day she could see her leg muscles building.

_Maybe I was meant to be an Earth pony instead,_ the young Pegasus thought to herself with a slight tinge of happiness. She wouldn't be useless after all!

The sudden whoosh of air and above the trees interrupted her thoughts, and she quickly looked up in time to see a flash of rainbow in the sky. Scootaloo's heart jumped to her throat in excitement as she saw her sister land next to Apple Jack to whisper something in her ear. When Apple Jack nodded her head, Rainbow Dash happily trotted over to Scootaloo's side.

"Hey, kiddo," she greeted before rubbing the top of Scootaloo's head with her hoof. "Ready to take a break?" Scootaloo nodded her head ecstatically as Rainbow Dash picked her up and flew into the clouds. While Scootaloo would never be able to actually fly, Rainbow still wanted to give her the joy of experiencing it while she was still small enough to hold. Scootaloo knew this as well, and would take every opportunity she could to be able to fly with her sister.

Scootaloo, though having been officially grounded and being able to only use her wings to practice stunts on her scooter, would conquer this sudden change in lifestyle. She would replace her wing muscles with leg muscles, and would always appreciate the care and love from her family and friends who surrounded her.


End file.
